The story of the Jensen FF, the first 4×4 road car

Today we discover the history of the Jensen FF, the British muscle car that saw the light of day more than half a century ago and that had an extremely short production run. However, the highlight of the FF is that it is considered to be the first 4×4 road car, a model that was almost two decades ahead of the Audi Quattro.

Jensen Motors created the FF in 1966 and had it on sale for five years, selling a total of just over 320 units. Very similar in appearance to the much more popular and, above all, common Jensen Interceptor, this muscle car with the soul of Chrysler was a technically innovative vehicle, a muscular-looking GT with a powerful engine under the hood and all-wheel drive.

The story of the Jensen FF, the first 4×4 road car

On an aesthetic level, the Jensen FF sports a front with double round headlights integrated into a vertical grill within a rectangular frame, similar to that of other models of the time such as the Chevrolet Camaro. Fitted with metal bumpers front and rear, the FF’s bonnet featured a central air intake and square fenders with gills to cool the engine compartment.

From the side, the FF features a very long hood, sloped windows, a long flat roof and a domed rear window. The highlight is that the position of the cabin was delayed a lot, integrating the rear axle almost below the rear seats. Also noteworthy are its muscular wheel arches and the characteristic two-door coupé line.

And at the rear, the most striking thing about the Jensen FF was its very wide rear window with a wrap-around design that hugged the rear of the vehicle, creating a somewhat more spacious cabin. Rectangular taillights and a metal bumper completed this look.

To some extent, the FF was very similar in design to the Interceptor, a vehicle that was also launched in 1966, but was in use for a decade until it was discontinued in 1976. Unlike the FF, the Interceptor was a vehicle powered exclusively by the rear wheels.

The Jensen FF was a large car for the time, measuring over 4.85 meters long, 1.75 meters wide and just 1.39 meters tall. In addition, it was a heavy car, weighing more than 1.7 tons.

Inside, everything was sporty by 1960s standards. Jensen fitted a three-spoke metal steering wheel, two large dials for the speedometer and rev counter, additional dials on the center console, and a wraparound lower console with integrated armrests. Inside the Jensen FF could travel up to four passengers.

Chrysler mechanics and 4×4 drive

Equipped with a Chrysler-sourced propulsion system, the Jensen FF was the closest thing to a muscle car that was manufactured in the Old Continent at the time. Jensen Motors turned to Chrysler to give the FF a 6.3-liter V8 coupled with a three-speed automatic transmission. The engine developed a respectable 325 hp.

But the highlight in the mechanical section of the Jensen FF was that it was the first off-road vehicle equipped with a 4×4 drive system. To do this, it had a front-mounted Chrysler Torqueflite torque converter along with the aforementioned three-speed automatic gearbox.

This mechanical configuration allowed the Jensen FF to be the first production vehicle to be equipped with 4×4 drive. It would arrive 5 years before the Subaru Leone, 13 years before the AMC Eagle and 14 years before the Audi Quattro.

The Jensen FF was assembled in the English city of West Bromwich between 1966 and 1971. The exact number of units manufactured in those five years is not known, but it is estimated that it ranges between 320 and 330 copies.